Giants Manager Tony Vitello & Diamondbacks Manager Torey Lovullo

00:00:08
Speaker 1: Manager's meeting.

00:00:09
Speaker 2: I saw Tory Lavello on there, the diamondback skipper joining us right now and FT live in Orlando.

00:00:14
Speaker 3: Tori, great to see you.

00:00:16
Speaker 1: How's it going down here? And what do you do? You do you like? You know, you're in the room and you're like, don't trade him? I really like him?

00:00:22
Speaker 4: Yeah, uh, yeah's exactly right.

00:00:26
Speaker 3: Right, I'm on the wall. I goes traded.

00:00:31
Speaker 4: I don't know what's going on. So, yeah, we're tight, We're tight. You know, he's a good player. People are smart, like they want good players, and of course they're gonna ask for our best player.

00:00:43
Speaker 3: I don't know where that process is.

00:00:45
Speaker 4: I just know that that he's a great baseball player that helps swim baseball game. So yeah, when Mike would ask, if he asked me, I'd be like, no, don't but that's not my department. And I don't know where that that whole process is. But what do I do here? I I go to the war room, listen for an hour, get tired of what they're talking about.

00:01:04
Speaker 3: They go to meetings.

00:01:06
Speaker 4: I walk out, have a little cup of coffee, and then I go back an hour later. It's the same thing, and I just end up saying I'm over you, guys. I got I gotta go take care of stuff. I lie, I don't tell them what I'm doing. I just have to take care of stuff. And I just a spirit.

00:01:17
Speaker 2: I phase out because you're not making the call. I mean, obviously you're a big part of the organization. How much do they come to you? And I'm guessing it's not here because you just talk to them all the time. Yeah, what do you think we should do?

00:01:32
Speaker 3: Enough.

00:01:32
Speaker 4: I don't make the final decision, but I have a really big seat at the table and it's part of it's a discussion week. We talk about different things and go over what the team looks like, what my gut feel is. And over the years, I think the strength of what we do is I accept their thirty thousand foot view and I give them the guts of what's going on, Like this is what's happening in the clubhouse. This is real stuff. The guy has a heart and a brain. It's not a piece of paper. So let's combine the thought of what we both are talking about and make the best decision.

00:02:01
Speaker 5: Move forward. How do you get how do you get your emotions out of the decisions? Because a lot of those guys in the war room that you're talking about, they really don't have emotions in it. They have the paper pen like yep, okay, this guy did this, this, that. But you say, man, I see how much Gabby Moreno's work. And I know we were playing McCann a little bit late more down the stretch, we're trying to make a push. How do you take your emotions out of it? Because teams are not built on emotions in the off season. They're built on numbers, they're built on the war they're built on their outs above average. So how do you go in there and take your emotions out? Or is that when you leave the room when they stop listening to your emotions.

00:02:45
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's a good question because I know that you add human emotion into something. Sometimes you make you make a bad decision, and I got to make sure that when I'm way way different things, that I have conversations with different people to make that best decision move forward. So I am a big heartbeat guy. I'm a big like where is his where's his mind?

00:03:06
Speaker 3: Uh?

00:03:06
Speaker 4: You know, the decisions you make will will show what your priorities are. And I want players that are making good decisions, with their work habits, with their prep, and then ultimately going out there and having results. And that's waited for sure, and I think that's a that's a bigger part of the game than anything. So the analytics and the data will show a certain thing, but the heartbeat of a baseball player is really important. And I think over the years, I was just saying, Mike Hays and has now become began to understand that. You know, it's been ten years we've been together, and he'll give me that that really good point of view. But I'll say, hang on, Remember we got a player that's that's really ready and really hungry, and I want hungry players to care and that that would trump a lot of things in my opinion, and they respect my opinion.

00:03:51
Speaker 6: Okay, So when you say, you know, Mike Hays and you and sit down, do you guys cover your eyes when you see the Dodgers make another move in your division, get edwin, d back up what they already had, the two time defending world champions, and here they are, Oh, we'll just go on and sign a top three closer in baseball and add him to the list of everyone we have.

00:04:11
Speaker 3: Yeah, so it started what with Freddy. The next year it was Mookie.

00:04:14
Speaker 4: They keep get wrapping all these really good presents to the n West and.

00:04:18
Speaker 3: It just doesn't let up.

00:04:19
Speaker 4: And then it was Yamamoto and Shohey and then Sasaki last year. So Tanner Scott, you forgot Rander Scott right, one of the best relievers in twenty four. I know we got banged up. He probably didn't have a healthy year. So yeah, Glass now it just it's it's endless. And in my opinion, it's fine. They play within the rules.

00:04:40
Speaker 3: Everybody knows what they can and can't do.

00:04:42
Speaker 4: I think Andrew's doing a great job of getting the right players in their docs, doing a great job leading them.

00:04:49
Speaker 3: And it's real. So we know that and we're like, either we can complain about.

00:04:53
Speaker 6: It, but that's gonna be my question. How do you go to your team and say, don't pay attention, guys, we think we can compete. Because every narrative you read, every narrative you hear, every player is on social media. They see things their their mom their dad is like, oh the Dodgers, where you're gonna beat them? Yeah, So how do you how do you combat that as a manager in an organization say no, guys, we can't be with the Seas.

00:05:15
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's my own family too. I'm born and raised in La So every time someone now's my own family.

00:05:19
Speaker 3: That's all over me.

00:05:20
Speaker 4: What we talk about AJ is when they come into the system, I don't want anybody and I go talk to player development. I don't want anybody to train themselves to feel sorry for ourselves to say the Dodgers you do an X and the Podress are real. Why, Like, we know what they're doing, we know what they're about, and it's it's proven to be a success, but we do different.

00:05:39
Speaker 3: We do it from within.

00:05:40
Speaker 4: The backbone of our system is our player development, and it puts more on them to develop and know that they're gonna get a chance. So there's a media buying when they come in. And our guys never complain about what the Dodgers do. Ever, I never hear one thing about it because we talk about it from a very young age, when they're eighteen or twenty one, this is what you do to get to the big leagues, and we going to Dodger Stadium playing tough. Our guys really step up with the challenge. They embrace it, they love going in there and compete against.

00:06:04
Speaker 3: Him, and it shows up.

00:06:06
Speaker 4: You know, we've had some really good years against the Dodgers, and our payrolls in a hundred you know, one hundred and thirty, one hundred and forty million dollars doesn't matter to us.

00:06:14
Speaker 3: We just want to go out to Pete Tory.

00:06:17
Speaker 5: I got to ask you about Gabriel Moreno. Gabriel Moreno. Towards the end of the year, there was some talk about maybe the game calling and James McCann kind of took some of the some of the bulk of the playing time after he was brought over. Now James is re signed, one of the best dudes in baseball. How does that? How is that conversation? And what is that looking like for Gabby going into this season? Is he the starter? Is it a spot that he has to earn? Does he have to learn and mature in different in different ways because on paper he had a decent season.

00:06:52
Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah, I'm talking to a couple of catchers here, right.

00:06:55
Speaker 4: So the game calling portion of it is really really important in developing relationships with your pitch and getting them strikes is really really important. So Gabby's evolving, He's gonna He's gonna get the majority of the time, for sure. James McCann coming on board whenever we sign him. I can't remember the exact date change the DNA of our team, and I think a lot of the success that we had was directly related to what James mccannon came in and did for us.

00:07:21
Speaker 3: Gabby was still hurt.

00:07:22
Speaker 4: I will say this, We're a different team when when Gabby's on the field, I feel it. There's it's an impact bat. The catch and release is as good as anybody. The one part of his game and and I agree with you, is knowing that the hitters well enough to call a game and make adjustments. James McCann told me this because I asked questions of these catchers, like when did when did you figure it out?

00:07:43
Speaker 3: When he got I forget who he came up with. I think it was the Tigers, right.

00:07:46
Speaker 4: I think Alex Avila said to him, hang on for the next five years.

00:07:51
Speaker 3: It's gonna take five years.

00:07:52
Speaker 4: For you to be who you're supposed to be, to get to know your pitcher, get to know all the hitters in this league, what those adjustments are. And I had some unbelievable conversations with the can where like I couldn't believe the things that he was thinking about, sorry, things that he was thinking about during the course of an at bat, Like I based this guy once before last year. We got him here, I got him there, and I'm like, oh my god, like you are really really good.

00:08:16
Speaker 3: That takes time. So what happens?

00:08:18
Speaker 4: I think Gabby's got to figure this out. He's got to get some time, he's got to pay attention to the right things, and he's going to be just fine.

00:08:23
Speaker 7: Okay, you brought it.

00:08:24
Speaker 6: You brought him a can back, which I huge, which I was shocked he wasn't signed.

00:08:28
Speaker 7: I mean, you guys brought him in late.

00:08:30
Speaker 3: Yeah he was. I don't believe it either.

00:08:31
Speaker 6: It was weird because I have I had people call me asking if I knew him, and I knew him from when he was the White tux.

00:08:37
Speaker 5: Yeah.

00:08:37
Speaker 6: I was like, everything I've heard from about this guy is amazing. So to hear that confirmed is great. And then can you bring in Mike Soroka?

00:08:44
Speaker 5: Yeah?

00:08:45
Speaker 7: As is he going to be a starter?

00:08:46
Speaker 3: Is he going to be a swingy?

00:08:48
Speaker 7: Guys?

00:08:49
Speaker 4: Okay, I can't officially comment on Mike Soroka I will say that we have been in touch with Mike Soroka.

00:08:55
Speaker 1: Because I know how to get around there.

00:08:57
Speaker 2: Just you've faced him, tell me about what you've seen. Yeah, I know, I know you're allowed that you are definitely allowed, just like I would ask you about Dommoto.

00:09:07
Speaker 1: Yeah, hey, what do you from this guy?

00:09:10
Speaker 3: That's good?

00:09:10
Speaker 1: Thank you.

00:09:11
Speaker 3: I thought and you guys taught him. Well, I think it's a good combination.

00:09:14
Speaker 7: I thought it was done, so I apologize.

00:09:16
Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, he uh, you know, he's got a real good breaking ball, four up fastball, and he's made adjustments off of that. There's cut you know, there's a slider that's in play now. So he's a four pitch mixed guy. The loves to compete, and you know, there has been contact with him, for sure. I had a chance to talk to him. Seems like he's very highly intelligent. He knows how to pitch. And you can just tell when you're sitting down with people, and not not just Soroka, but anybody that I've talked to on zoom or face to face this offseason, you can you can tell when they're starting to connect the dots. It's not it's not just I'm gonna be good. I'm lifting, I feel great, and I'm gonna be faster than be Like they give you a reason why when they and how and why, and they just answer the questions. You can tell when you're talking to somebody that's gonna have a good year, and I think, I think this might be the case.

00:10:07
Speaker 2: I have one quick here, follow up on him because he's been through a lot, right, he had the crazy injuries early on, he was kind of a buting star quickly. Yeah, I don't think he has as much heat on the on the fastball these days, but the secondary pitches, at least from this past season when he was on the mound, looked like they've improved a ton. And like we're talking about like he figures out the whole mix and had to pitch over or had a throat.

00:10:29
Speaker 4: Yeah, he gave himself the right to learn new pitches. It used to be for a curveball. Off of that, it's ever you know, the sink was in play too. But he started to understand who he was, what was going to make him successful. So he took a step back and said, hey, I've got to do this to be better than I am.

00:10:48
Speaker 3: And that's where I give players a lot.

00:10:49
Speaker 4: Of credit because I know when I was a player, I was scared to death to make an adjustment, like I knew what I knew, and that's all I was going to go down with.

00:10:57
Speaker 3: The best players are able to make adjustments, and sounds like he's ready to do that.

00:11:01
Speaker 5: You have a conversation with Kotel Marte since the season ended, or right at the end of the season, because we heard a lot of reports about controversy. It didn't show up, went to the dominic or went home? And when is the house robbery? All that stuff, things that we're just getting secondhand. Do you have conversations or have you had conversations with him, especially when you start seeing a guy who's ten and five rights are coming up could be on the market.

00:11:27
Speaker 4: Yeah, I have. I've had many conversations with him and a fair ask. Yes, there were some things that happened throughout the course of the year that were crystal clear, and I think all I could do at that point is creating awareness to have a conversation and talk about what it looks like to move this ball forward so he could be a better version of himself.

00:11:49
Speaker 3: Yeah, he had some emotional things that he was dealing with.

00:11:52
Speaker 4: You know, there's a fan in Chicago shouting some things to shouting some things out him that really hit him deep and hard. That's a real human emotion. His house getsken into when he's at the All Star Game and had I don't know, half a million, maybe a million dollars worth of stuff stolen.

00:12:05
Speaker 3: And those are big pills for human being to swallow.

00:12:10
Speaker 4: And he's not exempt from the feelings that we have sitting down talking.

00:12:13
Speaker 3: He's he's very emotional and I'm fine with that.

00:12:16
Speaker 4: So, yeah, we probably did need to have a different type of conversation, and he got very private and withdrawn through that time, and I understand that. I just, you know, wish communication had been a little bit a little bit better, But we learned from it and I don't think anything like that will ever happen again.

00:12:33
Speaker 6: How do you replace Gallon and Kelly and what are teams getting if, yeah, when they signed these guys, because you have you have Rodriguez, you have fought, you have Ryan Nelson.

00:12:43
Speaker 7: Now you might have another picture. We can't talk about him.

00:12:46
Speaker 6: But how do you first of all, how do you replace those guys and the teams that if it's not the Diamondbacks signing those guys.

00:12:53
Speaker 3: What are they getting in these two guys.

00:12:55
Speaker 7: Allen had a weird year for me.

00:12:56
Speaker 3: You bring them back, That's what I say.

00:12:58
Speaker 4: Im back, Yeah, I'm all for Yeah, yeah yeah.

00:13:01
Speaker 3: Gallon had a really really weird year.

00:13:03
Speaker 4: I think at the trade deadline, I remember he came in and I have great conversation with him.

00:13:08
Speaker 7: Usually he's a great to talk to because he's like very in depth.

00:13:11
Speaker 4: Oh man, It's like, yeah, you're I'm not as smart as is that. And when it gets really intimidating when he comes in he starts asking his quends, I'm like, oh my god. But he came in post post All Star, post trade deadline, and I think he was he was flushed, like he's like, I didn't get traded. I'm the last one here and what happened. It kind of took on that tone and I just listened to him.

00:13:35
Speaker 3: I think he was frustrated. It was a little bit of humble pie.

00:13:38
Speaker 4: But from that day forward, I just said, look, you have a new season, man, Let's go from August one forward to.

00:13:42
Speaker 3: See how dominant you can be. And he turned it around.

00:13:44
Speaker 4: Prior to that, there was a lot of tinkering, a lot of a lot of curiosity about his stuff.

00:13:50
Speaker 3: He's gonna come out right. He's elite, he's a great human being, he's a great teammate.

00:13:56
Speaker 4: I have nothing but great things to say about Zach Gallen, and same with Meryll, Like these.

00:14:00
Speaker 3: Guys know how to pitch man.

00:14:02
Speaker 4: And what's hard for us in Arizona is we have to say goodbye to that type of player.

00:14:08
Speaker 3: You know, it's just worth It's a sign of the times.

00:14:10
Speaker 5: It's what we are. We know it.

00:14:11
Speaker 4: Get back to the old Dodger, you know, not complaining about them signing free agents, Like we just know that players are gonna grow up and move on, So we're accepting of it as a possibility.

00:14:23
Speaker 3: And I wish him nothing but the.

00:14:24
Speaker 4: Best wherever they both land, I wish him nothing but the best or great pitchers are great.

00:14:27
Speaker 3: Why didn't he get traded? Why didn't he get traded?

00:14:30
Speaker 8: Why didn't he?

00:14:30
Speaker 3: Did you trade it, Kelly? Yeah?

00:14:32
Speaker 6: I mean, heck you traded Jordan Montgomery trade.

00:14:37
Speaker 3: I don't know.

00:14:38
Speaker 4: I think because of the time year he was having, I think the ask was a little low. I'm assuming that I don't I Mike didn't really make me aware of it. It was probably, you know, we just don't want to give him away. I think that he was very average the first four months of the season, but I think he's gonna be just fine.

00:14:55
Speaker 3: I think wherever he winds up, I'm still gonna hope, be hopeful that it's with us. Wherever he ends up gonna be fun.

00:15:01
Speaker 2: I've got one more for you yet. So there are a ton of new managers entering the game this season. Your thoughts on the mix of hires that we saw, and then specifically, are you gonna get in any fun barking matches with Tony Vaytello. I'm sure you've seen some highlights from the college days.

00:15:20
Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't know. A couple of Talian guys. Let's go out it right, That's how I feel about it.

00:15:25
Speaker 4: I'm I'm really excited for him. You don't really see this crossover right very often. I'm sure it's happened in the history of the game. I don't know where it went, but a very successful college coach high baseball.

00:15:35
Speaker 3: IQ looks like he's a connector of people. He's one of the boys.

00:15:38
Speaker 4: He's in the trenches with the guys, and I think that's what the players want. The players want to know if the manager's in or out. If you're in the players, the players are gonna play for you. If you're out and put yourself on a different level, we're gon be like little lukewarm on you.

00:15:51
Speaker 3: You know.

00:15:51
Speaker 4: I seen footage of him running the stands of like whatever, crowdsurfing with fans like players love that.

00:15:58
Speaker 3: So I think he's gonna be just fine.

00:15:59
Speaker 7: I want to see do that.

00:16:00
Speaker 3: I promise you I will. Something big will happen this year. IM gonna be crowdsurfing, Yeah, surfing.

00:16:06
Speaker 7: I can't wait for that.

00:16:07
Speaker 3: I think Buster vetted that Busters and Buster is a brilliant GM.

00:16:11
Speaker 4: He's got great players and.

00:16:15
Speaker 3: They they vetted that it's gonna be great.

00:16:17
Speaker 4: And the young blood that's coming in, you know, I know Washington, the Nats hired a very young very.

00:16:24
Speaker 3: Yeah that's awesome. We have your tear on before you, did you? He like he's thirty three. He could be Mike Club.

00:16:31
Speaker 8: He could be our kid.

00:16:32
Speaker 7: You might be your grand kid, but he could definitely be my kid.

00:16:35
Speaker 5: I'm looking at him.

00:16:37
Speaker 6: I don't feel that I'm not that much older, but man, I'm looking at you.

00:16:40
Speaker 7: I feel like I much.

00:16:42
Speaker 5: Yes, I don't. You know.

00:16:45
Speaker 4: When I was thirty five and just retired, I'm like, why can't I do this? Like I felt like I could, like put me in there. I feel like I could manage. There's a lot of things that that take place, and he's had that experiences as a young minor league manager. He's gonna be just fine. And uh, like I said, you just gotta get the players to play for you. Whatever whatever that means is different. Inside of every clubhouts. You got to find out how they go out there and give you their absolute best.

00:17:09
Speaker 3: And I'm sure he's got that that down. The x's and o's.

00:17:11
Speaker 4: We all we're all baseball minds, like, okay, of course, yeah, I might pinch hit this guy over this guy. I might make a pitching move at this time a little bit different, but it's all it's all pretty similar.

00:17:21
Speaker 3: It's how you relate to players and connect and create a culture. That's the most important thing.

00:17:25
Speaker 2: Tory, good to see you, Thanks for the guys. What craft you got one? Go ahead?

00:17:30
Speaker 5: I asked Blake. I asked Blake when the first time he was gonna Blake but Terra, when the first time he was gonna get thrown out with all the new challenges and everything is tory develop going to go the whole season with no ejections.

00:17:42
Speaker 4: I don't know, look that remember the good old Matt arguments you used to get with the first base up.

00:17:49
Speaker 3: Say if you missed it, no he's out, like whatever. Like that doesn't happen anymore, right, I don't know.

00:17:55
Speaker 8: I probably I'm.

00:17:56
Speaker 3: Good for two or three of a year. You can't argue anything.

00:18:00
Speaker 1: Something will happen.

00:18:01
Speaker 4: Yeah, something will happen. It always happens. And whenever, whenever I decided to go, I go to.

00:18:05
Speaker 7: Make sure Yatti's not around, because Yachty was.

00:18:09
Speaker 3: I made a big mistake. Yai is the best. I just said something I probably should, right, and Yati's so good. He was getting balls as far off the.

00:18:17
Speaker 4: Plate, and I'm like, come on, you can't make ball strikes, like just be fair to us.

00:18:21
Speaker 3: And I said a few other things, and Yadi was like, I'm.

00:18:23
Speaker 4: Sorry, yai ya, he's one of the best. But anyways, they take a lot of it away from you. I think when the when the start to mistreat the players, and I got a pick player.

00:18:32
Speaker 3: That's where I got the line. I'll get thrown out of the game every time.

00:18:34
Speaker 1: Then yep, I disagree with where you play, you'll get bounced.

00:18:38
Speaker 3: What's up?

00:18:39
Speaker 1: He hau.

00:18:40
Speaker 3: Yeah, did you ever watch yell it is? I don't think were you on? He ha?

00:18:44
Speaker 7: I was as what.

00:18:47
Speaker 3: They had a school scene. Do you remember Minie Pearls. She had the price tag from her straw hack.

00:18:53
Speaker 4: She was a teacher and she had a school scene with ten to fourteen year olds and I.

00:18:57
Speaker 3: Was one of the one of the suits.

00:18:59
Speaker 8: Did you have a line?

00:19:00
Speaker 3: I did have a line. What was your Oh my god, let's see. She said, Tory, how's your baseball team? Come along? And my line was.

00:19:08
Speaker 4: Good, teacher, nobody has beat us tight us or scored against us. And she said wonderful. And I said, well, we play our first game next Saturday, so it's plastic.

00:19:19
Speaker 3: It's smart though.

00:19:19
Speaker 4: Yeah, right, everyone's undefeated on opening day. Yeah, yeah, there you go. Yeah, my dad PRODUCEE Off for twenty five years. You say that to the wrong person, they fall over their chair laughing. They're like, oh my god, here you said to somebody who's born in the South. They're like, dude, I still watch that show.

00:19:34
Speaker 1: It's serious.

00:19:35
Speaker 3: It's still late at night and I'm zoning in.

00:19:37
Speaker 4: My parents, my grandparents, my great grandparents, we watched it every Sunday night.

00:19:41
Speaker 3: So just spend some where you're from.

00:19:42
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's really cool. That's what people are asking about. But Tory, great to see you. Thank you by extended time. I appreciate it. Uh ft Fami will be right back. Hey, we're back lab in Orlando with New Giants manager Tony by Tello. It's a pleasure to be able to introduce you that way.

00:19:57
Speaker 8: Thank you.

00:19:57
Speaker 5: How you doing.

00:19:58
Speaker 9: It's still awkward to hear it that way, but as the days go by, getting a little more comfortable with everything, and this is certainly a part of the experience.

00:20:06
Speaker 8: Didn't know what to expect, but uh, this is eventful.

00:20:09
Speaker 7: Yeah, welcome to winter meetings, Welcome to the big leagues.

00:20:11
Speaker 3: Like I told you, thank you.

00:20:13
Speaker 6: I appreciate this is a different animal than SEC media days and that whole thing. But when Buster Posey called you, were you like, wait, do you have the wrong number?

00:20:24
Speaker 9: Well, originally our conversation stemmed around our players. We had a tennessee, whether it was through the draft or trade stuff, so.

00:20:32
Speaker 8: It was it was already interesting.

00:20:34
Speaker 9: I guess is the best way to say talking to a guy that's in his category, you know. But then from then when the first text came across about hey give me a call, I kind of had an inkling what it was about.

00:20:47
Speaker 8: And there was a lot of different emotions.

00:20:50
Speaker 5: How much did you drop little hints different times that you had talked like it wasn't I mean, it can't be. It can't be completely out of the blue, like man, I'm gonna go and call Tony. Yeah.

00:21:03
Speaker 9: No, I think originally it was, but there there maybe was one closer to that time where we, you know, we were sharing ideas about how we see baseball, but more importantly, how you would like your team to be portrayed on the field. And I think, you know, it all seems seamless to me because you acquired Drew Gilbert because you like his intensity. The questions asked me about Gavin Keelan were more about, you know, is this guy as competitive as you know the other guys.

00:21:34
Speaker 8: You've had in your program, or what you want?

00:21:36
Speaker 4: Uh?

00:21:36
Speaker 9: And then kind of started to pick up on some hints that were being dropped there as as calls got closer to that whole deal what you've.

00:21:44
Speaker 7: Only been doing this for a month.

00:21:46
Speaker 9: Now, Yeah, I mean it was October twenty second was the day where.

00:21:52
Speaker 6: Yeah, what's been the biggest thing besides this? The media hasn't been. Have you been overwhelmed by anything? Players, meetings, phone calls, anything that's just been.

00:22:02
Speaker 8: Like, I think the biggest thing.

00:22:04
Speaker 9: When I left Tennessee or was about to, I thought everybody would be in a better position. I mean, I like that I get some credit for it, but it was a coaching staff there that was pretty special that helped players get better, and the elements are at Tennessee to win regardless.

00:22:20
Speaker 8: Of who the head coaches.

00:22:21
Speaker 9: To be honest with you, but the guy I thought was most suited for it was the guy they gave.

00:22:26
Speaker 8: It to, Josh Islander.

00:22:27
Speaker 9: And so I thought everybody was gonna wave by and say good luck and things would be great. And it got a little tumultuous there for a little bit, so just getting through the old job stuff and onto the new job stuff.

00:22:40
Speaker 8: It was heavy.

00:22:41
Speaker 9: But since then it's more exciting than anything. I mean, right now, everyone walking around this hotel is oh and O. So there's nothing to be too depressed about.

00:22:50
Speaker 2: I've got one for you from a historical perspective, this is essentially a first right for you to jump over to take over a major league team like this coming from the college ranks. Your job is to win games for the San Francisco Giants. But do you feel any type of onus to perform for the next Tony Vaytello to be able to make a jump like this and say, hey, there are some super talented managers that should be managing at the major league level and.

00:23:17
Speaker 1: We should take more bits and pieces from that.

00:23:20
Speaker 9: I think a bigger just trading back and forth in general, whether it's ideas or personnel or people or you know, technology now like it or not. I think the more seamless it is, the better and the more likely it is to.

00:23:34
Speaker 8: Occur more often. There's already been some.

00:23:36
Speaker 9: Coaches obviously, whether it's strength coaches or pitching coaches that have you know, made the jump, if that's what you want to call it. But at the end of the day, it's all baseball. It's all competing. I know the big leagues is way different. I'll have to hit you up sometime. You made a mistake of giving me your number. No, I'm happy to do it.

00:23:53
Speaker 7: I'm not going to tell you where I got your number from.

00:23:55
Speaker 9: But I know how competitive you are and the game you played is baseball, So yeah, as you get to a higher level, some of the things should increase, like talent that's on the field. But for the most part, I think the more seamless it is, the better off everybody is.

00:24:10
Speaker 5: Did your players in college call you coach?

00:24:14
Speaker 8: Can you say that again?

00:24:15
Speaker 5: Sorry? Did your players in college call you coach? Yeah?

00:24:20
Speaker 9: V was often, but yeah, coach. We were playing Auburn Sonny Desera was SEC player of the year and you know, was competitive on the field back and forth, and their guys started yelling at me and saying Tony, and I took offense to it. I grew up in a household where my dad, you know, was a disciplinarian, and I thought Bob Knight when he got fired it was for the wrong reason. Some kids said hey night to him and he grabbed them on campus and that was the last straw. So I think I know what you're getting at. But that game in twenty twenty two is where I came to grips with the fans and the other teams players call me Tony, So I'm good with whatever you want to call me as long a is. You know, it's relatively respectful and it's going to help us win games.

00:25:04
Speaker 5: Okay, well you kind of you kind of alluded to it because they're not going to call you coach anymore. And the sures heck, never met anybody they call manager. So it might be skip or something like that. But what I was going to get to was, is there anything that Buster Posey has said, Look, I saw you do this in college, you can't do it here? Or is he letting you be who you are? Like everyone we just talked about with somebody else, crowdsurfing. I think we're talking to Tory Levello. Saw you CrowdSurf and he's like, yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm going to CrowdSurf at some point this year. So is there anything that Buster said, hey, hey, pump the brakes on this, or is he said go for it? I trust you.

00:25:47
Speaker 9: No, And I think if that came up, it'd be worthy of a debate upstairs with all the people that are meeting of whether that's appropriate or not in that moment. I guess self defense coming up as or defending myself is when you are compact, ve you hamstring yourself so much when it comes to enjoined victories because you're always onto the next thing and you're guarded and karma and all that bs. And that was a moment where there was no more games to play that season, so I was like, the hell with it, I'm gonna get my money's worth. Uh So, if that were ever to occur again, you know, maybe that would happen. But for the most part, the group has been it's been a collaborative vibe and it's definitely a been.

00:26:26
Speaker 8: A be who you are type of deal.

00:26:29
Speaker 9: So I think that theme will stay consistent as long as nothing gets too crazy.

00:26:33
Speaker 8: What yours a twenty four that you guys won the world? Yeah, I'm a Gator fan. They've had their share of success.

00:26:43
Speaker 6: You've kind of ruined it for them, but that might That leads me to my next question. Like I've watched I watched a lot of SEC baseball. Obviously, being a Florida fan, you've been known to go out in the other teams a little bit, you know, whether good bad, however you want to. You can't do that as much now, are you gonna be able to reel it in your emotion and the fire that you have. You can't be wearing fur coats and doing the whole daddy has.

00:27:05
Speaker 8: I mean, that was not my idea.

00:27:09
Speaker 9: No, I agree, And yeah that's another moment post, you know, championship or whatever. They threw that on me without my doing, and I'm not too big of a fan of that stuff, but it's part of the game. And I think I had to adapt to what the players were starting to do, and to be honest with you, I don't know that I could adapt to some of the things that are starting to go on now at high school level and at college levels.

00:27:33
Speaker 8: To an extreme.

00:27:33
Speaker 9: So I've kind of got my own set of of values. But I'm going to lean on people that have been in the big leagues and ask him what's a little corny and more suited for college and what's more appropriate for the And I think at the very least the respect level I have for the best players on the planet, because as a recruiting coordinator, you're always in awe or appreciation of a guy who's good, Well, these are the best players, and then just walking around here, I don't even I don't know. Maybe I got to make an adjustment shaking hands with guys like Pat Murphy is awkward to me at this point.

00:28:04
Speaker 1: All right, I've got one for you on players.

00:28:08
Speaker 2: So from what you can share, what's the most interesting thing a player has said to you so far on your current team, right, like something on a phone call? And then the follow up also is how do you approach talking to Rafael Devers. I've known him for years. He felt hurt from a situation last years. With a new spot, this is a chance for someone manager wise here not from San Francisco but from Boston. But manager has come in here and be like, yo, you're my guy, got you for whatever? Eight seven eight years? This is the plan?

00:28:36
Speaker 9: Yeah, no, with a little bit of excitement as far as talking to Devers and also following Gilbert's lead, he and Drew became close for whatever reason, so.

00:28:45
Speaker 8: I could see guy's a mad man. Yes, yes he is.

00:28:48
Speaker 9: But you know, getting to know each of those guys is exciting for me. I'm pretty fired up about the diversity that exists in Big League baseball. I've become an avid traveler. It's my hobby, which is probably foolish because recruiting and playing baseball you're flying as is. But I'm excited about that parted about as much as any Uh. And then talking with the current players as far as giants, do you want to go get a drink, you know, you talk about the twenty four championship or other moments.

00:29:19
Speaker 4: Uh.

00:29:19
Speaker 9: There were a lot of times and a lot of invitations to have more fun than I actually did have. But when you're in college, you have a different representation of the program and who you are. And so yeah, one of the first guys I ever met was you know, was over a drink and it was a good conversation. And getting to know those guys is something I'm again excited to do.

00:29:39
Speaker 5: Our current big league managers too boring.

00:29:43
Speaker 8: I don't think if you meet them in person, I mean, yeah, not again.

00:29:49
Speaker 9: A lot of my experiences watching the playoffs, our guys are we're so wrapped up in what we're doing in college baseball. You don't get to see Game eighty three in the middle of the summer what necessarily is going on, you know. But I think back when I grew up, the managers were like Bobby cox White he hears all dating those are guys. You would almost just as likely have a poster on your wall of those guys as you would a player. I think there is a little bit of a little bit of a missing chunk there between who those guys were maybe in today's game. And that's just an observation as a fan, you know. And hey, maybe I was just a lot younger back then and looked up to those guys even more then I look up to some guys.

00:30:32
Speaker 6: Now, Okay, before we let you go, I have two quick with things. One Max Suer's or I asked him about you. He said you're the best. So I'm told because I love Max, I appreciate that he gives me a if he gives me a good endorsement, and.

00:30:42
Speaker 9: He's pretty critical, he's very he can be very opinionated.

00:30:45
Speaker 6: Yes, also, and he gave you a good endorsement, so I have to respect from max'es.

00:30:49
Speaker 7: And then I brought this up earlier.

00:30:50
Speaker 3: You walked out with.

00:30:51
Speaker 6: Morgan Wall and had to be one of the coolest things of all time. I signed with Tennessee at a high school. I never went there. I signed out of high school and went to the minor leagues. But I'm not a voluntare your fan. So now you have a different shade of orange, Will you throw all that ugly assed creamsicle orange out where you.

00:31:06
Speaker 9: Actually keep some Well, that was the first thing my dad said to me, was how much gear they have.

00:31:10
Speaker 8: They're a little upset about it. I've already sized up.

00:31:12
Speaker 9: I've got some items where the orange kind of meets in the middle, and I'm a little i didn't grow up with a lot of money, so I'm hanging on to that stuff. And then, yeah, I'm gonna be cheering for those guys. They had to go get jerolim in from Florida. I mean, I know, I know Chuck and I work together at TCU, and I'm happy for him and his family. I think he'll do great things there. But just a lot of close ties with Rick Barnes, a basketball coach. I'm super excited they've got a newer coach with women's basketball. So I was in love with the place and still am.

00:31:41
Speaker 8: Sorry to relay that.

00:31:43
Speaker 7: Sorry, it's a beautiful place.

00:31:46
Speaker 8: Yeah, the country music's no matter where you're working.

00:31:49
Speaker 5: One last quick one for you. Will you wear your College World Series ring in the presence of big leaguers.

00:31:58
Speaker 8: I've never worn it.

00:31:59
Speaker 9: I don't know time will come that I will, but I've I've I've never worn it, and uh with the moving boxes, I first got to locate it and then uh we'll put it somewhere in a condo and uh.

00:32:10
Speaker 8: One of those days will come and it's a long way from now.

00:32:12
Speaker 5: That I put it on.

00:32:14
Speaker 2: Well, we're looking forward to many more combos about the giants.

00:32:16
Speaker 1: Great to see you and you.

00:32:17
Speaker 8: Congratulates, appreciate you guys.